Rock of Friendship
by Flora Damocy
Summary: this is a story about two unlikely friendsDraco Malfoy and Ron Weasley.it's about the sacrifices made and memories created from kinder years to adults.It's mainly trying to emphasize the importance of friendship and its effects on people. 1shot. no slash


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Rowling does and I don't think that will change any time soon. **

**A/N: This is a one-shot story about friendship. Please read and review. It will be greatly appreciated. I do value constructive criticism. Well, I hope you like it!**

Rock of Friendship

"Hey! Wait up!"

"Come on, Draco! We're almost there!" The little redhead cried, cupping his hands around his mouth. He was on top of a rocky hill waiting patiently for the tiny blondie to climb his way up.

"I don't want to. I can't do it. I've never been on this sort of quest before." Draco shouted from the bottom of the hill.

"You've never climbed a hill before! My brothers Fred and George always explore places. And they take me with them sometimes! Hold on, I'll come and help you."

As Ron made his way down the dusty mountain, Draco replied, "Father never let me play outside or anywhere dirty. I might get into trouble if he finds out. I don't want to get into trouble. Ron, maybe this isn't such a great idea."

"Of course it's a great idea. He won't find out as long as you don't say nothing. I promise I ain't gonna say anything." Ron was already standing tall next to Draco who sat clutching the ground. "Here, give me your hand."

Finally, Draco admitted the real problem, "I'm scared. It's doesn't look safe. I'm not meant for this sort of thing."

"Don't be such a ferret. I'm right here. I'll help you. It's really safe. I've been here tons of times with Fred and George. Come on Draco, PLEEASE! With a Bertie Bott's Bean on top!" Ron had been really excited to show his new friend the treasures he found on top of the hill.

The spoiled six year old continued to name excuses to not go, "But it's dirty. I hate getting dirty. And I'm wearing designer robes. I'm already scratched up a nice lot."

Ron wasn't giving up on him. "Your robes won't get ruined. Trust me. Fine, you don't have to get up. Just scoot your bum up to this spot right here." Draco moved up to where Ron pointed to by placing his hands behind him and pushing himself upward, "There."

"Good." Ron acknowledged. "Now," he commanded as he dusted off an area with his feet, "move here by pushing your foot off of here." He pointed to each spot.

As Draco pushed his body up, his foot gave way and he slipped. Ron quickly caught him and pulled him up to a sitting position. "NO! I am NOT moving any forward. You saw how that rock just crumbled at my touch. I thought you said this was safe! I'm not going any further. You can't make me!"

"Look, you're okay." Ron soothed, "I'm right here. I saved you. It is too safe. You'll be fine. Now, come on." He checked for sturdiness with his foot, satisfied, ordered, "Put your foot on this rock here and push yourself…here, right above this bush."

"No. No way. Not even for a hundred chocolate frogs. Can't we just go back down now? I know plenty of games we can play at home. Mother just bought me a new set of wizarding chess. I don't really know how to properly play but we can make our own rules."

"You can't sweet talk your way out of it this time. That's what me mum always says to me when I complain. We're already halfway there. Just a little more." The poor redhead was even going red in the face with frustration. "I promise you'll like it up there."

Draco continued to sprout out new excuses. "I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast and now its afternoon. We've been out all day. I'm hungry and I'm tired and I'm scared and I want to go home."

"Draco, please. We just have a little more to go. And here," he said, reaching into his pocket and taking something out, "here's a chocolate frog. I don't have one hundred of these, but I'll give you this one if you make it to the top of this hill."

Draco abruptly stood up and turned his back on Ron."Fine. I don't need you. I can go back myself. You can come when you're ready." Draco concluded that he didn't need to and wouldn't put up with this and he would somehow make it on his own…until he realized he did not very well _know_ the way back. He twirled back to face a smirking Weasley.

"You're standing finally, so you might as well just take my hand and walk up. It's much faster and you can't fall because I'm holding you." Draco reluctantly surrendered for the sole reason that the faster they got up, the quicker they would just leave. He squeezed Ron's hand so it turned pale white, as he scrambled up the mount.

The top of the hill was of level ground, to Draco's relief and pleasure. There was flat land abundant in sand and thick brushes. He was a bit confused and what was so great about the place. It could only serve to cause a several amount of scratches and bruises. He opted to ask his buddy what was so wonderful when he was put off by Ron's actions. Ron was knee deep in sand and digging.

"What are you doing?" the befuddled boy asked, but Ron was too busy to notice. Finally he threw his arm in a fist up in the air and squealed, "Yes! Draco, look!"

"What's that?" Curiosity beamed in those silver gems as he eyed the precious stones in Ron's hands. There were exactly two stones in his hand, but there were several more in the hole he dug up. Both stones were actually two parts of a stone cut in half. In the stone's center lied a sharp colored gem that perfectly blended the silver in Draco's eyes with the blue in Ron's eyes.

"Here. You keep one, and I'll keep the other." Ron handed one rock to Draco, "Fred says these charms are good luck. George found one that had a green center. I think ours is much prettier. Do you like it?"

"Merlin, do I like it? I love it! Thanks, buddy. I've never had a gift like this before. It must be worth loads of galleons. If it's really good luck, then that'll be brilliant." Draco was mesmerized by the small rock in his hand.

Ron beamed. "We'll always have these stones like friendship charms. That's what mum calls stuff like this. Get up, there's more." He stood up but as he turned around, he bumped into something or rather someone quite large.

His large black cloak hid Ron's vision until he was brutally pushed aside. After regaining his balance Ron looked up to see Draco shaking in pure fright. The tall man's voice boomed throughout the brush land.

"Draco. What do you think you are doing, my son?" Despite his mock kindness, Draco shivered at the sound.

"I…I-I was just pe-pe-playing with my friend. We were just go-going b-be-back." Draco stuttered as he tried to speak.

"Oh! This is your friend?" Lucius turned to the quiet redhead, "And what is your name?"

"Ron Weasley, sir." Ron answered.

"Weasley! Son, come with me at once! You are to no longer see this boy!" Lucius commanded.

"But why? We didn't do anything bad." Draco retorted.

"How DARE you talk back to me! You will be punished! Crucio!" The evil father (if that's what you could call him) cursed his own son.

At that same instance, Ron, sensing danger, threw the rock in between Draco and his father's wand. Immediately, the rock shattered, but Ron didn't care because it had stopped his friend from getting hurt. Lucius shot death glares at Ron, whose face had turned tomato red.

"You insolent filthy worthless weasel!" He raised his wand to curse the redhead, but Draco countered him.

"NOOO! Daddy, NO! Fine, I'll go with you. Let's go. Don't hurt 'im." Draco was on the verge of bawling his eyes out.

Absurd as it sounds, Lucius _did_ listen to his son, and left the Weasley child alone. He took his own son and apparated back to the Malfoy Manor. Ron rushed back home to get help from his parents. The poor child was scared out of his wits.

The large and cold living room of the manor only seemed to make the atmosphere more eery and freezing. A deafening crack rippled throughout the empty and lifeless room. As soon as the two males entered the room though, it was filled with anger, danger, and cruelty. The pitiless older male continued to scold and shoot curses at the innocent sobbing boy. Draco helplessly cried for his mother, or someone, to help him. Narcissa had been out shopping, but it's not like she could have helped him anyway. Nothing could stop an angry Malfoy. "You are never to see him again! How many times have I told you not to stay around such lewd and grimy wizards?" He questioned with a thundering voice.

"None" Draco replied innocently and shakily. Never before had he gone through so much pain. Being only six years old, it's a miracle he survived all that harm. It would have easily shattered the fragile stick bones in his body. He then added, "Ron's a pureblood. I asked him myself. He didn't know what a mudblood was till I told him. He isn't like the people you told me were bad. How come you think he's bad?" Lucius had already told Draco hundreds of times that muggles were bad. He urged Draco to even call them mudbloods because that was what they were-muddy and dirty.

Suddenly, a sharp pain sliced through the cold man's arm, causing his skin to burn intensely. He immediately put aside his pain and marched out the door. "I'll deal with you later." He threatened menacingly.

The minute a pop sounded, Dobby the house elf made his entrance. He moseyed over to a quivering little blonde lying on a hard cold floor. "Is little master alright?" the tiny elf asked with concern. He had never seen Draco receive such intense punishment and he was concerned about the boy's health-both physically and mentally. Surely, this would scar him for life. Draco almost crushed Dobby when he hugged the little creature, who became startled at the sudden gesture of the lad, but invited the hug. He soothed the mini Malfoy by bringing him to his bed, then going to the kitchens to get him some chocolate. When he came back though, the fragile blonde had closed his eyes, and the only detectable movement was his chest moving up and down still a little shaky. That night, he dreamt of two friends playing in the mountain of orange and yellow fall leaves. He went back-back to the day those two friends met. As he dreamed he started to wonder if he would ever see that sight of red ever again.

Five years later, Draco had been trained to be that slimy bastard of a kid that only snails liked. He had forgotten the meaning of love, friendship, or anything good for that matter. Then again, Ron was the only one who ever showered him with that. And that was only a limited time in the smarmy brat's life. He terrorized the little Dream Team whenever he got the chance. Potter and Granger, he could get bored with, but Weasley; he always found it more amusing to pick on the Weasel than anything else, because of his temper and whatnot. You could say he enjoyed the Golden trio's suffering because he felt jealous or some other reason because you feel sympathetic. To state the facts however, Draco Malfoy was born into this world for the sole purpose of being the most spoiled and brattiest kid who walked the face of this planet we call earth. Needless to say, he fulfilled that task beautifully. Yet, surprise surprise, Draco found that somewhere deep _deep __**deep**_ down he had a heart and he cared. Hard as it was to ignore it, whenever he did tease the thick headed Weasel, he felt a pang of guilt that he didn't feel when he picked on anyone else except for that blasted redhead…what was his name? Oh, right. Weas-_Ron._

On his very first train ride to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he met two people that would remain loyal to him, even to death. That wasn't the only life changing event to happen. On that fateful train ride, he met an old friend: Draco Malfoy. His mind immediately flashed to the last time he saw him, and then to what his parents said.

_Little Ron had run all the way home in such a hurry, that when he reached the front steps of the burrow, he was barely holding himself up while gasping for air. When he had finally calmed enough to make comprehensible sentences, he explained everything that happened, of course exaggerated a bit. He was six, what did you expect? To stay straight to the story, now where's the fun in that? At first his parents didn't understand. Then they turned white. They tried their best to comfort the traumatized child, but there wasn't much they could do. The poor parents didn't know how to convey the type of family those Malfoy lot were. Despite Arthur's warnings to just stay away, the little boy's mind refused to believe that Draco was like his father. He always believed Draco was still his friend._

Now he knew. At first, it crushed him to be picked on by Draco. As time passed, he hardened. They grew to be arch enemies. Hate was the only emotion between them. Ron would occasionally be caught in Potions daydreaming of ways Malfoy could be seen dying. It was wonderful…until he got glares from Mione because house points were taken because he wasn't paying attention. Ron hated that slimy blonde git with all his guts. Now what was his name again? Oh, right: Dra-Malfoy.

It was the last year Hogwarts would have students like the Boy-Who-Lived, the cleverest witch of her age, the sixth and most thick-headed and loyal Weasley, the brattiest-kid-to-walk-the-face-of-this-earth, and many more. The latter of those named spent his graduation alone. Most of his "friends" were death eaters like him. Unfortunately, those cronies like Crabbe and Goyle just weren't intelligent enough to not get caught. The war was growing more and more serious, so any death eater caught was sent to Azkaban. Of course everyone knew of Malfoy's state, but the bugger always found a way out. Back to the point, Draco had no friends and spent most of his time climbing up the ladder to Voldemort. He was no where close to being his most trusted advisor (that was reserved for Snape) but he was of definite value to the twisted mind of Riddle.

Ron, on the other hand, spent his graduation in festivities and the like. He had two of the best friends in the world by his side, and he couldn't have asked for anything more. What made that night more special was a proposal of marriage to a certain bushy haired, clever Hermione Granger. He completed her. Despite the inevitable quarrels, they had grown to love each other more than anything. Not all was happy go lucky. The golden trio had spent a serious amount of time fighting the war. Without Dumbledore's aid, the war had become a lot harder for Harry and everyone fighting for light, but somehow things were pulled together and Voldemort's army was slowly diminishing. They would go through a lot of pain and hardship, but in the long run, things were looking pretty bright. Surprisingly, Ron would make a wonderful asset to the light.

The day had finally arrived. The time when light and dark would engage in a final battle that would determine the fate of the wizarding universe. Just two years had passed since Potter and his army went into intense training after their graduation. But two years seemed enough because they were winning the war.

By nightfall, the village in which some fought was completely scarred by the fire. No buildings remained excluding the remains of ashes. Mutilated bodies scattered the ground and colored the roads scarlet. Next to the village was an acre of flat land and hills that buried the moonlight. Green light flashed constantly through the black atmosphere. Despite the surplus loss of blood from aurors and the common wizard citizen, the number of dark followers far exceeded it. But there were still those few powerful sinister wizards who wouldn't go down with a fight. One of those was none other than the infamous Draco Malfoy. He fought long and hard, allowing rage and bloodthirsty desire to take over his body. He was finally given the chance to release all the pained feelings he kept bottled inside all his life. His fervent desire to be loved and to make proud his father. All the years of loneliness that made him savage. The friendships he never had, or could never keep. The fact that he was never wanted, only used. His name carried money, strength and power, but what was the value if he could never use it to attain what he wanted? What good did that do if it drew his true desires away? The rejection he was used to feeling now rejected any form of conscience or hope. He pillaged through the war, killing mercilessly and destroying mutinously. He knew he could have been saved. He was fully aware that all his pain was caused by Voldemort and the dark side. Had his dad nor him ever become a death eater, he could have had a life. He also knew that there was no going back. He didn't deceive his lord because he was afraid of death. But tonight, he learned he didn't care if he lost his life nor would anyone else for that matter. He couldn't suddenly switch to the light and expect be welcomed with open arms. No one would trust or accept him. They'd probably kill him the instant he took action. There was no backing out--tonight he would surely die.

Until then, he would continue to murder others. Get his name in a popular hit book series or have someone play him in a movie. (**wink wink**) _Maybe I'll be so popular, I'll have fanfictions about me. Hopefully they don't pair me up with someone horrible_. _Ah! What if I'm paired with Granger?!_ He shuddered and involuntarily vomited blood at the thought and injuries from the war. Mainly the thought. His attention was brought back to earth by an earth shattering scream. Somewhere a vision of lightning burned and produced unbearable pain. It had come from behind those hills. He did a couple spins to look at how the battle was coming. There were a scarce amount of wizards and witches standing, although the bloodstained ground could barely be seen through the mass of bodies. There was a ratio of two aurors to one death eater. The war would finally end in a few minutes. Seeing no point in helping his dying side he trudged over to the hills. He went unnoticed even by the most observant of witches, Hermione Granger. Then again, she was caught in a treacherous battle against a certain death eater Malfoy immediately recognized as Blaise Zabini. For amusement purposes and old time's sake, he fired a curse at her but right then Zabini blocked sight of her and the spell hit him instead. You gotta love perfect timing.

Before Hermione had even raised her wand, Zabini had mysteriously dropped to the floor. Puzzled at the cause of Zabini's fall, she looked up to see another death eater pass by. Half his mask had broken off and she recognized that platinum blonde hair. _Curse my ravishingly good looks and great hair. I can never go unnoticed. _He thought conceitedly. Definitely Malfoy. This only caused Hermione more bewilderment. Her thoughts and running questions were cut short by another attacker. Forcing herself to think about earlier events later, she faced the task at hand.

When he reached the bottom of the hills, he looked up at the rocky terrain, confounded on how to go about climbing to the top. Common sense finally made it back home and the former Slytherin pulled up the sleeves of his torn robe and made his way up.

When he reached the top, he ran and hid behind a large rock because he shouldn't be seen. There in the distance were two powerful wizards. The main leaders in this battle of light and dark. Harry let out another scream of pain as his body jerked uncontrollably. Voldemort's shrill cold cackle echoed throughout the space.

Draco's mind went into commentary mode. _Ooh! And Potter takes another blow to the stomach. _

_He's fighting back. One after the other. He's not giving up. _He had to admit, _Potter's got endurance. _

But alas, his commentator moments were short lived. Someone had pulled on the collar of his robe, choking him then swinging him around. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Ron asked maliciously.

"Enjoying a free show. You bloody well ruined it, thank you very much." He sneered back sarcastically.

"It's not a show and it's not free. You're going to pay with your life! Avada Kedavra!"

Potter had endurance. Draco had swift reflexes. He smoothly dodged out of the way and fired a spell at Ron. "Crucio." he shot back. For some reason, the blonde wasn't able to fire the killing curse at his arch nemesis.

Draco's calm attitude only seemed to agitate Ron more. Recovering from the attack, he once again tried to strike his enemy of nine years. This time, Draco didn't escape. For a second, Ron thought Malfoy didn't even try to get away. He voiced his thoughts with a question, "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd have tea and cookies with Potter and my lord." He replied sarcastically at Ron's dim remark. In spite of the hatred he felt for Voldemort for causing the pain in his life like his mother's death, he couldn't bring himself to speak his name. It was as if Draco was afraid he would hear it, and then he would be punished.

Draco was suddenly shoved to the ground by an unseen force. Before shooting back up, something else caught his attention. His hand landed right next to pieces of what looked like shattered rock. Memories flooded back.

"_We'll always have these stones like friendship charms."_ The voice of a little six year old rang in his head.

"Broken." He was barely audible and let out a soft chuckle. He brought himself up into a sitting position, leaning on one hand while his other softly touched the pieces on the ground.

"What?"

"Broken," he reiterated, "the rock shattered…like our friendship." He looked up as Ron knelt down beside him. A soft smile played on his face. The smile mirrored onto Ron's face as he looked at where Draco's hand lead.

"It's the same mountain. Well, a mountain then. A hill now." The smile grew then faded when he recalled how huge things were back then, and how little their problems were. Now they were all grown up, and things seemed the exact opposite. "You think anyone would believe we were once friends?" he joked.

"They'd die before they believe that," Draco replied laughing, then said in a more serious tone, "You know, not everything was broken." He took something out of his pocket and held it out to Ron.

Ron looked at the stone in his hand and back up, "How?"

"A friend once told me it was good luck. So I kept it all these years. Ironically, ever since I came into possession of this I've lost the only friendship I ever had. I guess I kept it as a memory of what I once had."

It took all of Ron's courage to admit, "It never broke. It just got a little broken. Nothing a little spell couldn't fix." He took out his wand and muttered a spell. The pieces on the ground lifted from the ground and joined back together, white light surrounding it. Then the light went out and the rock fell into the redhead's hands. "See." He said as he lightly threw the rock and caught it with his hand.

"I wish it was that easy to fix." Draco said.

"It is," Ron held out his hand, "Truce?"

Touched by Ron's blind attempt to forgive and forget, he turned away to hide the drop of water sliding down his cold cheek. He wiped it away and asked darkly, "Are you willing to risk it? What makes you trust me all of a sudden? I've done nothing but caused you pain, what makes you think I'm good now?"

"Because tonight I saw a glimpse of a friend I knew years ago. I know he's still alive, still there. He's just a little buried. I'm willing to take that risk to bring him back." His answer was honest, Draco thought. He couldn't understand how Ron put so much blind faith into him. And he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. They had shared nothing but enmity and deep hatred during Hogwarts and after that. Why was Ron actually doing something Draco knew Ron's thick stubbornness would never allow? And why was Draco unconsciously reaching his hand out to shake Weasley's? Where did his arrogant pride go? Then he slowly knew. Friendship crosses all boundaries and follows no limits. It shines that little fire of hope when everything else is black and gloomy. When nothing else lasts, friendship does. After years of bitter loathing, two men put their differences aside, and became friends.

A few feet away, a green eyed hero truly defined the words endurance and perseverance. Spell after spell he fought despite his weakening body. He shot a spell at his weakening opponent and then let his eyes wander to the spot where Voldemort had rendered Ron unconscious. Instant confusion hit him when he noticed the redhead was missing. Voldemort looked at Harry's gaze, then to where it pointed, and he too noticed Ron's absence. He circled around as an act of awareness to an ambush attack. Then something else caught his eye. The blasted Weasel was awake. That too, conversing with Malfoy. AND MALFOY WASN'T KILLING HIM! What was he doing? Having a tea party? He cast the Imperius curse on the two friends and brought them to his side, slamming them against sharp rocks.

"Ron!" Harry shouted as he ran to his friend's side, but with a swift motion of his hand Voldemort froze Harry's feet. He then faced his faithful follower and questioned him, to which the pale man ignored. Enraged, Voldemort forced him to answer by threatening him with the Cruciatus curse. Sweat appeared on Draco's whitened forhead while inside, his mind was running with torturous memories at the mention on that curse. Then the wheels in his brain started turning and he connected all his bad memories to the sinister man in front of him. This man had no feelings. He was cold hard nothingness. And nothingness isn't that hard to get rid of. You just have to fill it up with something, anything…friendship. His epiphany erased all fears and he bravely stood up to face his fate…but he wouldn't go without a fight. He was a Malfoy after all. He screamed many angry curses at his master, taking out years of hatred and letting it go. This considerably weakened the great wizard, but not before he muttered two terribly fateful words "Avada Kedavra" at his traitor.

On impulse, Ron threw himself into the air blocking Draco and taking the hit to his chest. Four men froze as they watched in shock, Ron writhing on the ground. Voldemort was utterly appalled because the curse hadn't instantly killed him. The only one to ever survive the killing curse was the damned Potter, how did that blind Weasel escape? It could have been that he was extremely weak and lessening by the minute, but that didn't mean the spell had any flaws. Draco's heart tore apart as he envisioned Ron's body breaking into a hundred shard pieces. Harry was astounded that of all people, Ronald Weasley, his thickheaded best friend of nine years had just sacrificed his life for an old enemy found in Draco Malfoy.

An unknown force broke the immobulus curse put on him, allowing Harry to run and fall on his knees beside his closest comrade. Draco, too, knelt beside his friend and held Ron's hand, begging to believe that Ron didn't just do what he did. Ron faintly murmured. Both boys eye's shone with hope and bewilderment. "Harry," Ron whispered and Harry clenched his hand, "You've been my best friend through thick and thin. Avenge me." Harry nodded and his eyes scintillated with anger at Voldemort. Ron weakly squeezed his hands to get Harry's attention, "And take care of the ferret for me. Give him a chance." Harry looked at a crying Malfoy. He didn't know Malfoys could do that, but he trusted and loved Ron, and seeing those tears made him think about Ron's words. Draco, shivering, looked down at Ron , his eyes pleading him to stay alive. He had finally found a friend in Ron, but damn it, he was losing him already. All the wacky loon did to Draco was grin at him and wink. Wink. All he got was a bloody wink! All it took was that wink to make Draco understand what Ron wanted. In that wink was laughing sarcasm, and the hope that told Draco everything would be okay. Life wasn't over for him. Ron had given him a second chance. And nothing could bloody well stop him from taking it. He would help Harry avenge Ron. He would live his bloody life no matter what came his way. He wouldn't let the sacrifice his friend made go to waste. He let go of Ron's hands to stand up, but was cut short. Ron's hand fell to the ground…and it would never rise again. Draco broke. He was fully separated from his first chance at friendship. Instead of brimming with anger, his silver eyes froze and shattered like glass being thrown on hard ground. He broke and tore inside. He ripped his black robes and drowned in a river of tears.

Voldemort remained quietly watching the whole time. He would let Potter and Malfoy have their last moments before they would join Weasley. Voldemort cynically thought he was so kind and considerate. This would weaken Potter and make it easier to finally defeat him. Oh, but was he WRONG. Potter stood up fiercely and screamed at the top of his lungs. He lunged at an unsuspecting Malfoy, not to attack him, but to obtain his wand. Gathering all his strength he shouted a spell at Voldemort. Into that spell he put in all his anger, pain, and courage. He was avenging those he loved. He would avenge Ron-his best friend, his parents-whom he was never given a chance to know, Sirius Black-his chance at a family, Dumbledore-his favorite wizard, along with the countless people murdered or injured by Voldemort. Voldemort let out a cold high shrill in pain as his chest burst open and blinding white light shot out. Thousands of spirits soared freely and they seemed to run and find their loved ones. Harry cried as he saw his parents, Sirius, and Ron fly towards him smiling. Cedric Diggory waved as he quickly flew away in search of Cho Chang. The spirits couldn't talk, but words weren't sufficient to describe how Harry felt. Ron left Harry to go to Draco, who stood alone. Of course no spirits came to Draco, he had no one. His heart turned cold when he saw Potter with his family. He stopped when he saw Ron coming towards him. A huge smile plastered on his face and his heart leapt in happiness. Ron gave a thumbs up to Draco, and he laughed and mimicked the sign. Ron then waved goodbye and went off in search of Hermione. Draco decided he had nothing to lose and walked over to the raven haired man. He smiled when Sirius gave a surprised look at his entrance. He then decided to give Harry some space and walked over to a corpse lying on the ground. For a few moments he stared at it in disgust, then muttered "Avada Kedavra" just to make sure Voldemort was dead. He knew it was useless because Voldemort, in fact, was finally defeated, but he did more for a few personal reasons.

A few minutes later, all the white spirits could be seen gathering up in the sky and flying higher and higher till they were a tiny speck, and then they were gone. Harry walked towards Draco, "Looks like everything's finally over."

"What do you mean? Everything's just begun." Draco replied optimistically. Harry stared at Malfoy and his _un-_Malfoy like attitude. Draco let out a chuckle and winked at Ron. He then wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders as if they were good old buddies. The uncomfortable looks he received from Potter made him laugh. This was fun-messing with people's minds. He let go of Potter and started to make his way down the hill. Harry decided he would eventually find out about Ron and Draco, but for now, all he wanted was a nice warm shower and a good night's sleep.

Draco woke up with a start when he heard children squealing gleefully and another voice commanding them, "Stop shouting! He's still sleeping!" He recognized that the voices were coming from right outside the door to his room. He became fully awake when a woman barged right inside and two blurs of red charged toward him. As the toddlers jumped on his bed, he leapt up and shrieked as well. Suddenly aware of his bare chest, he pulled his sheets and twisted them around his body.

"Granger! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?! You can't just burst into someone's room when they're sleeping. Or at all, for that matter."

"And a good morning to you too Malfoy. As for justifying my reasons of barging in on you, the time as of now is noon." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"Noon?!" Malfoy jolted out of bed and into his personal bathroom connected to the room. Five minutes later, he came out of the shower and strode over to his closet as per his daily robotic routine. He hurried down the steps of his mansion and into the kitchen where was the world class healer was feeding one of her tots, Matthew. Draco playfully shook the child's hair.

In response, the kid proudly stated, "Tomorrow's my birthday! Ima gonna be five years old!"

"Hey, me too!" Victor, the other twin squealed. _Merlin, they look like the splitting image of Ron himself!_ Draco thought as he smiled and helped himself to some apple juice. _Although Matt certainly has his mother's intelligence._

"Really? Five years old! You're going to be a big boy soon!" Hermione laughed at his show of enthusiasm. "What?"

"Nothing. Hurry up now, we jolly well don't have all day." She stood up and motioned for everyone to get going. "You stood me up at St. Mungo's and now we're already behind schedule."

"I did not stand you up!" Draco retorted, "Wait a minute. What about Potter?" This trio of people still resorted to last names because…well, things were better that way. It had more of a playful tone. They would occasionally call each other by their first names, but they each enjoyed a little amusement in surnames.

"Oh! Harry and Ginny are out honeymooning, so he won't be coming with us."

"But weren't they supposed to be back a week ago?" he asked as he placed the orange juice pitcher back in the fridge and walked towards the front door.

"They were, but decided to extend their trip a bit. They seem to be having a good time." Hermione smiled missing the couple but happy for them. Draco snickered at her comment as he reached for a black coat on the coat rack and put it on. "Ugh, don't you wear anything other than black?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. But black always seems the best for my complexion, eh?" Hermione had to admit, the guy looked VERY good in black. She remembered the many girls in Hogwarts who swooned at the sight of him. Personally, she never saw what was so great about him, but she didn't disagree with the fact that Draco Malfoy was attractive. Her thoughts somehow led to Ron and her heart sunk. Draco noticed her changed of mood while helping Victor put his coat on. He picked the toddler up and walked out the door. Hermione came out and walked hand in hand with Matt. The group apparated to the bottom of a very meaningful hill once again. The four climbed up the mountain, the twins with great excitement; the two adults were rather quiet. Instead of the rocky obstacle it once was, thanks to Neville Longbottom, the hill was transformed into a grassy green hill adorned with various flowers. Every few steps lied a cement gravestone with different names on each one. The hill had been turned into a cemetery for those murdered during the war. The ministry chose this hill as a burial place for its significant location-the downfall of Voldemort and all dark forces. For Draco, it held an entirely different meaning.

As the party reached a certain gravestone, the older man conjured up two white easter lilies and handed them to the children. They each placed them on top of the gravestone then ran to run around on the hill. Draco decided to let Hermione have her turn first, and went after the kids. Hermione gingerly sat by the block of cement labeled Ronald Weasley and talked, cried a little. A few minutes later, she tapped a busy Draco on the shoulder. It was his turn.

He slowly made his way to the same spot Hermione sat in. He lost himself in an ocean of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express them. Gradually, he began to talk. "So…it's been a year since I'd come up here. Two years, down to this very day, since I'd seen you last. Life has been good. As per your request, Harry, Hermione, and I are doing fine. Although, I'm not quite sure how you fell in love with that woman. She drives me insane, that woman. Intolerable. You've got to give her credit, she's amazingly strong. Had I been in her position, I'd have given up a long time ago. She raises two kids, you know. Merlin, they drive her up the wall, being just like you. It's not easy. She misses you. Loved you a lot." He paused before breaking up.

"Why? I've asked this question so many times. But I can never get a bloody answer. Your life would have been perfect. Why didn't you just let me die? I was alone. No one would have cared. But you? You had a family who loves you very much. You left Hermione with two kids to raise all on her own! You could have done so much more. I was worthless."

"You aren't worthless."

Draco swiftly turned around. Relieved, he asked "How long have you been there?"

"I just walked over here to come get you. I'm not raising those kids on my own, you know that. You're there, so is Harry. What Ron did was…good. Well, not good, but things turned out alright. He saw in you what others didn't."

He smirked, "No. He was never the intellectual type. That was you. He was thick and stupid."

Hermione's face hardened, "So that's how it is. He cares about you, saved your life, gave you a second chance, and this is how you repay him? Ungrateful rude ruthless hardnosed—"

"That's not what I meant!" tears were flowing down his cheek, "Merlin, woman, its bloody guilt! I'm so grateful for everything Ron has given me, but damn it, I'm drowning in guilt. I snatched away your husband, a father to those innocent kids you see running playfully over there! They don't have a father because of me! You and Harry lost your best friend! If I would have just died, nothing would have happened. You could have lived a happy peaceful life." Hermione tried to intervene, but Draco wasn't finished just yet, "Don't interrupt me." He said sternly. He was letting all his emotions and feeling out in one big rush, "Normally you and everyone are fine. But I know, I saw it in your eyes this morning, it's killing you to live without Ron. You're suffering and it's my fault."

When he paused to get his breath, Hermione took her chance, "It's not your fault. None of anything that's happened is your fault. Ron did this. He took the action and nothing you could have tried would have stopped this from happening. If not this way, some other way. But it's better this way, because I've got you. You're not their father, but the kids adore you. Heck, they even love you more than Harry. I can't fathom why though." They both chuckled. Hermione continued, "I love you too. So does Harry. And so did Ron. and so far, you haven't let his sacrifice go in vain. You've made a new life. A great one. You're the best Potions teachers to ever set foot in Hogwarts. The class went from most despised to most popular, thanks to you." Draco proudly puffed his chest and smiled dashingly. Mcgonagall hired him as the replacement teacher until she could find a new one, but the students, mainly the female population, loved him so much, he was hired full time. "You're a great uncle to the kids. And a wonderful companion to me and Harry. There's nothing that would make Ron happier. He lives through you, you know."

Filled with relief and happiness, he stood up and gave Hermione one long hug which he gladly accepted. Releasing herself, she ordered"Now come on. It's time to go. You're taking the kids to Hogsmeade to see Fred and George, and my shift starts in fifteen minutes." She called the kids and they started to make their way down. Draco stared at a shiny silver blue rock placed in the cement. He smiled and drifted towards the trio ahead.

Draco placed Matt over his shoulders; Hermione mimicked the gesture with Victor. As they strolled down the hill, curiosity sparked in Matt as he eyed an object clutched in his uncle's hand. "What's that?" he queried.

"This," he showed the silver blue rock in his hand, "is a very special gift. It was given to me by someone very special."

"Who?" Victor asked.

Draco threw the stone lightly in the air and caught it. He smiled proudly saying, "His name was Ronald Weasley."

_The End_

**Author's notes: So how did you like it? Why not tell me in a review? I'd really appreciate it. I truly hoped you enjoyed it, and that it was worth your time because then it means it was worth my time to make it. Thank you, and please review!**

**Oh, and for those interested there will be a sequel. Or prequel. Depends on how you view it. Basically what it will be is a series of comical one-shots of little draco and ron called "The Adventures of Ronnie and Blondie". I already have a couple stories in mind, which I hope to make really fun. Let me know if anyone is interested!**

**Once again, thank you for reading "Rock of Friendship" brought to you and directed by Flora Damocy with the disclaimer that I do not own Harry Potter. I repeat I do not own Harry Potter. I know you all thought I did, but you were fooled. Unbelievable, I know. But apparently, I believe HP belongs to someone by the name of JK Rowling. You ever heard of her?**


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